World day against cyber censorship: Protecting online freedom against troll armies, bans and misinformation
State's with authoritarian tendencies are quick to cut people off from the internet, while little has been done to actually tackle fake news and hate speech.
Sharing opinions, images, memes and almost any random thought on the internet has become a part of everyday life for people in most parts of the world. But for a large number of people, sudden suspension of connectivity, blocked documentaries and incessant trolling, drive home the reality online censorship. To address this crackdown against digital free speech and expression, Reporters Without Borders launched the World Day Against Cyber Censorship on March 12, 2008.
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Covert and blatant forms of censorship
Censorship includes shadowbanning, such as the reach of pro-Palestinian cyber activists being curtailed on Instagram and Twitter, or LGBTQA+ hashtags being blacked out by TikTok in the Middle East. It also comes in the form of draconian regulations and troll armies backed by political factions, which attack users, spread misinformation and also spy on people through the internet.
Varying shades of censorship
Beyond social media and the restrictions placed on specific content, internet shutdowns anticipating protests in a region have also been witnessed. State's with authoritarian tendencies are quick to cut people off from the internet, while little has been done to actually tackle fake news and hate speech.
Countries such as China, North Korea and Syria are known for their dismal online freedom, and India's score improved marginally last year, after dropping for four years in a row. But draft amendments on the cards for IT laws and the removal of a BBC documentary from India's online space, have raised fresh concerns.
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Both users and platforms remain vulnerable
In 2022, more than four billion people had been hit by internet censorship, and almost 50 per cent of those were from Asia. As platforms such as Facebook have been quick to comply with norms such as appointing local representatives in Turkey and India, those such as Twitter faced ad bans for resisting. In the Middle East, regimes became even more aggressive in their push against free speech on the internet after the Arab Spring.
Discussing cyber censorship, spreading awareness about the importance of free speech and sharing documentaries such as The Cleaners, are simple ways for every netizen to celebrate and strengthen online freedom.
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